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Having a bad grass day? Here's the 7-step lawn recovery plan

grass stem comparison

Southern lawn grasses comparison of stolon of St. Augustine on left and a sprig of centipede on right. The difference in leaf size is not always so dramatic, but it's always easy to tell the two apart when looked at side by side.
CUTLINES:
BILL FINCH/Enviroment Editor
A look at the stolon of St. Augustine grass, on left, and a sprig of centipede, at right, highlights the difference between the two Southern grasses. The difference in leaf size is not always so dramatic, but it's always easy to tell the two apart when looked at side by side.
PUBLISHED 6/29/2007
(finch)

If you don't know what kind of grass you have, you won't have a clue how to take care of it. Most yards in South Alabama are dominated either by St. Augustine or centipede, with a smattering of zoysia. St. Augustine has a naturally richer green color than centipede and wider blades that look flattened where they attach to the stem. In North Alabama, bermuda grass and more rarely fescue and zoysia are also used. Each requires a different kind of maintenance.

A look at the stolon of St. Augustine grass, on left, and a sprig of centipede, at right, highlights the difference between the two Southern grasses. The difference in leaf size is not always so dramatic, but it's always easy to tell the two apart when looked at side by side. (Bill Finch)

2. Get the bricks out of your soil.

Plants have these things called roots. And if you can't drive your shovel more than 3 inches into the ground because the soil is hard as a brick, how far do you think the roots (and water and nutrients) are going to get?

Good topsoil, the kind of soil that grass needs to grow well, will be easy to dig to a depth of 10 to 12 inches. But because we allow building contractors to create our lawns, there's a rock-hard layer -- called a hard pan -- about 3 inches deep.

Cracking this hard pan before planting is imperative. Don't use a tiller -- it will simply turn your soil into a powder that will settle out into a layer harder than what you started with. And don't turn it. You want to keep the topsoil on top.

Instead, simply use a garden fork to crack it. Then spread two or three inches of fine pinebark mulch before laying new sod.

You can gradually build topsoil depth and quality by leaving clippings on your lawn, by mulching up tree leaves with the lawnmower, or by spreading a half-inch of pinebark mulch over the top of your grass each year.

3. Don't mow low!

You think mowing short means you don't have to mow as often? That only works if you kill your grass. Low mowing means you have to mow MORE OFTEN to maintain the health of the grass and to control the weeds that will proliferate with low mowing.

For St. Augustine grass, raising your mower to the highest setting -- usually 3.5 to 4.5 inches -- will result in dramatic improvement in lawn quality, a significant reduction in weeds and less need for irrigation. And surprise: The lawn won't require mowing as often.

Centipede is more finicky. Mow it at 1.5 inches starting in mid-February. In April, raise it one notch each time you mow until it's 2.5 to 3 inches high, and leave it there. Mow centipede as frequently as possible to control competing weeds.

Zoysia and hybrid bermuda maintenance requirements vary by cultivar. If you're investing in these, you'll want to make sure you have all the information appropriate to your cultivar.

4. Feed your grass sunlight.

There is no substitute. Grass is green because it feeds itself, using sunlight to transform air and water into energy-rich starches. The grass under your live oak is dying because it's literally starving for sunlight. If you can't remove the trees, maximize the amount of sunlight the lawn gets before 11 o'clock and after 3 o'clock.

5. Easy on the fertilizer.

Fertilizer is not food and it's not medicine. It won't improve soil and it's no substitute for sunlight. Heavy doses of fertilizer can make lawns more likely to suffer disease and insect attacks and can easily kill outright.

Think of fertilizers as a vitamin that works correctly only when applied sparingly. Centipede lawns are particularly vulnerable to fertilizer damage. Use cottonseed meal or cut in half the recommended application of fertilizer or don't bother. On good soils that are properly maintained, most lawns don't need regular fertilization.

6. Don't drown your grass.

Water in moderate amounts is good for you and your grass, but too much of it, and you both die of drowning. Water-logged soil kills grass rapidly because the roots can no longer breathe. Keeping grass blades constantly wet can be almost as damaging, because it fosters disease and insect attack.

Young, newly planted lawns require frequent watering. But once your lawn is established, frequent, short bursts of irrigation foster disease, so you'll want to reduce the frequency as soon as possible while increasing the length of time you water. Most established lawns on good soils won't need watering more than a few times a year in our climate. Water well when you water _ as long as it takes for the water to reach 6 inches deep _ and don't water again until the ground is dry 3 inches deep.

7. Don't pretend your grass is Astroturf.

Most Southern lawn grasses don't stand up to heavy wear and tear. Best accept the fact that your dog's favorite run will always be dirt. Use flagstones to define a path: People will walk on the stones rather than scuffing up the grass. For areas that get a lot of foot traffic, you may need to consider some of the new, more wear-resistant zoysias.

Questions? Write Bill at plaingardening@yahoo.com, or for instant gratification, feel free to call into Bill's Sunday morning radio show from 9 until 11 on FM 106.5 (or streaming FMTALK1065.com ). Don't miss his Friday noon gardening segment with weatherman John Nodar on WKRG's News5 at Noon.